Fugitive Safe Surrender

Fugitive Safe Surrenderis a unique,
creative, and highly successful, initiative that encourages persons
wanted for non-violent felony or misdemeanor crimes
to voluntarily surrender to the law in a faith-based or other neutral
setting.

Managed by the United States Marshals
Service as a community re-entry program for wanted non-violent
offenders, Fugitive Safe Surrenderoffers individuals
with felony and misdemeanor warrants the ability to turn themselves in
to law enforcement and have their cases adjudicated in a safe and
non-violent environment.

The goal of
Fugitive Safe Surrender is to reduce the risk to law enforcement
officers who pursue fugitives, to the neighborhoods in which they hide,
and to the fugitives themselves. Authorized by Congress in July 2006,
Fugitive Safe Surrender is believed to be the first program of its
kind in the nation.

For more information about Fugitive Safe Surrender,
please contact the
National Program Coordinator at (202) 616-1040. For media
inquiries, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at (202)
307-9065.

About Fugitive Safe
Surrender

Tens of thousands of fugitives are present in every major
city across America. Many are wanted for violent crimes, but
authorities target far more for lower-level, non-violent felonies
ranging from drug possession to theft. Still more are wanted for misdemeanor infractions. Law enforcement officials at every level of
government apprehend large numbers of fugitives every year through
regular investigative efforts and concentrated fugitive sweeps.
These duties are among the most dangerous faced by authorities. But
the danger is not just to police – it is also to the members of the
communities in which these individuals hide...and to the
fugitives themselves. At the forefront of this work is the United
States Marshals Service and their federal, state, and local task
force partners throughout the country and overseas.

Fugitives often hide their identities, either to avoid detection
or to further their criminal behavior. They live in constant
fear of arrest, and out of the mainstream of their own
communities, supporting themselves by: (1) continued non-violent
criminal activity (e.g., drugs, prostitution or theft); (2)
non-criminal work where they are paid “under the table” and have no
health care or other benefits; or (3) as a financial burden for
employed, law-abiding family members. In all of these
instances, fugitive status creates a broad range of burdens and
dangers for the fugitives themselves, their families, and the
community. For the thousands of fugitives across America who have
no history of violence, Fugitive Safe Surrender offers a
unique opportunity to take their first and most crucial step toward
community re-entry.

S. 2570/H.R. 5459 -
Legislation to authorize funds for the United States Marshals
Service’s Fugitive Safe Surrender Program. Introduced by
former Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) and the late Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones
(D-OH), this legislation was ultimately enacted and signed into law
as part of Public Law No. 109-248, the Adam Walsh Child Protection
and Safety Act of 2006.

If you have an outstanding
warrant and you wish to surrender to authorities prior to a formal Fugitive Safe Surrender
operation coming to your area, you should
contact your local police department or USMS
district office.